Red
by MadAboutStories
Summary: I hear an unusual ominous clicking noise which makes me whirl round rapidly. And I see them, a whole row of them- creatures that I have never encountered before. They stand upright on merely two legs, their skins a deathly pale shade..."


**A/N: IMPORTANT:- Haamid (pronounced HAH-mead) is an East African name which I found from an African name meanings website. It originated from Kenya-Tanzania and is Swahili for "grateful." :)

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I crouch down low, feeling the straw like grass brushing against my body. My target is in sight- a single, young antelope is grazing in front of me. Today is definitely not they day to travel without the sacred protection of a herd. I feel slightly sad for her; she just made a small, foolish mistake and, because of me, she'll have to pay dearly for it. But, I can't afford to waste this golden opportunity; they're all counting on me..._she's_ counting on me.

Suddenly, the antelope freezes and raises her head abruptly from the ground. Her dark eyes are large and round and for a moment, I look behind my shoulder for she can't have spotted me yet, surely...? And then, something takes me completely off guard- she stares straight at me, _right _at me, lying in the grass, waiting for the best time to kill her. And she does not run. Instead, an unusual noise that sounds rather like a warning bark rises from her throat and reaches my alert ears.

My jaw drops in spite of myself and still, she stands there, calling to me; yes _me!_ There are no other antelope in sight, she is completely alone but she defies nature with her unbelievable actions. And I answer my call with a deep snarl and retract my claws. I have to succeed, I can't stop now, not when I'm so close I can almost touch her dusty brown fur.

I charge towards her, she finally runs, the muscles on her sleek, graceful legs stretched to breaking point. But there's no point in her trying to escape. She is far, _far_ too late. I slash my paw across the antelope's thigh, I hear a faint, final cry from her lips, until I cut it short. Biting down hard on her neck, I see red.

My strides gradually become slower and slower, until I stop in the middle of the plains, breathing heavily. The adrenaline that only comes when one hunts is still pumping furiously through my veins. Closing my eyes, I sigh deeply in gratitude and wait for my heart to change into it's normal beating pattern. I relax my mouth and let the body of the female antelope fall gently to the ground. Not the best thing to do, especially with the threat of lurking hyenas waiting to steal the kill at a seconds notice but I do it anway. The sun's rays soak pleasantly into my murky golden pelt and I smile slightly as I enjoy the short experience...

Wait. I frown, glancing behind yet again. Something moved there, I couldn't just hear it; I could sense it. A quiet, dangerous growl slips out of me defensively and I grasp the antelope by my mouth once more. A few minutes pass, when I begin to relax. Nothing's there. Nothing's there. Nothing's th-

I hear an unusual ominous clicking noise which makes me whirl round rapidly. And I see them, a whole row of them- creatures that I have never encountered before. They stand upright on merely two legs, their skins a deathly pale shade, with blank emotionless eyes as hard as stone. My claws contract sharply, they are certainly not prey. I can almost smell the very aura, the very presence that they carry. Hyenas seem less than intimidating compared to these... _things._

One of the mysterious figures catches my eye. He stands confidently in the centre of the perfectly, unnaturally straight line, with an arrogant smirk on his fur less face. He points a mysteriously shaped object at me that sparkles curiously in the light. I stare at it, not sure whether to attack or flee, when there is an earth shattering sound resembling the angry bolt of thunder. An unbearable pain slices viciously through my chest and suddenly I can't tell what's up or what's down, I can't tell the earth and the sky apart at all.

Argh...why does it HURT so much?

I realise I'm lying flat on my back, looking up at the heavens. How did I get here...?

A formidable figure blocks the view from above- the creature with the strange object is standing above me. He is simply grinning, looking down at me and shaking his head and just infuriatingly grinning. Without being aware of deciding to do so, my lips part to speak: "What _are_ you...?" I ask in sheer amazement. He laughs at my question but doesn't reply, those empty eyes hardly blinking. Deep within those eyes...I see red.

A beautifully familiar yet at the same time terrifying roar makes itself present before I notice that my eyes desperately want to close...I let them as I sink lower into the grass...

* * *

Have you ever felt one miraculous day that every little piece in your life was just falling effortlessly into place? That everything was perfect? No?

Well, you're lying, then.

My life is absolutely flawless right now and as I gaze past the opening of the cave, into the huge, ruby like orb that is the setting sun, I grin to myself. The excitement of what is drawing near flutters in my stomach like a million butterflies but I don't mind in the slightest-

"Hello? Haamid, are you even listening?"

My head jerks to the right and I see a lioness with beautiful, almost cream fur. She observes me with a mildly frustrated but amused look. "Sorry, babe- miles away," I reply, brushing my paw against her own.

She rolls her eyes in mock horror, "So can I continue?"

"Fire away."

The is a pause in which she half laughs, half sighs. "Haamid, you have no idea what I was talking about, do you?"

I bend my head slightly. "Aw, I can't help it!" I reply, "I just keep on thinking of this little 'un." My hazel eyes roam down to the lioness's stomach that seems as if it will burst at any second. One more week and the little cub that is growing inside her will be part of the Circle of Life. It seems absurd that in seven days, I'll be a father. My nerves jangle at the prospect.

Sarafina follows my gaze, and a wide smile creeps onto her features. I'm certain she's feeling just as nervous, perhaps even more so than me. "Well, if you'd _listened_, you'd know that's what I was taking about," she tells me, intentionally flicking her tail in my face.

I reluctantly bat the tail away with a small jerk of the head, "Okay, ma'am, you have my undivided attention," I say, enjoying the look on her face at my small tease.

"Cheeky!"

"Don't act like you don't love it..."

She chuckles softly and I find that it's near impossible to tear my eyes away from her, from that totally content expression she holds. "It's just...you know I can't really hunt right now and was wondering-"

"Mmhm?"

She pauses, before continuing with: "Could you take my place for me? I don't want to let down Sarabi; she's helped me so much and-"

"No probs," I but in, preventing her from waffling on, no matter how..._sweet _I find it. Hey, I'm going to be a Daddy soon, might aswell get all sentimental. And it really is no trouble to me taking Sarafina's place- Mufasa's built such a strong bond between the Pride that the old tradition of only the females doing the hunting has melted away.

With no warning, my mate's mouth suddenly forms into a mildly taken aback "Oh."

"What is it?" I question, glancing down to her stomach once more with concern. But her cheeks soon flush with pleasure, putting my mind at ease.

"It just kicked, that's all," she replies breathlessly, precious eyes sparkling with joy. Mine probably have the exact same, special glint within them. We lie down together, Sarafina's head resting lightly on my shoulder. Her eyelids close within moments and I carefully nudge her. "What's up sleepyhead?" I smirk, now keeping absolutely still so she can rest properly.

The lioness's mouth opens as she yawns gracefully, "Nothing...just tired," she mumbles quietly, not opening her eyes. Her breathing slows, showing she's deep in sleep.

As I watch her closely, a wave of sympathy washes over me. This parenthood thing is new for both of us, but I haven't really considered how hard it is to be a mother. I eventually rise, doing my best not to disturb her, gingerly putting her head onto the cave floor. Before I let her sleep in peace, I press my lips against Sarafina's precious bump, still not believing that something as beautiful as a living cub is inside it. Then, I lick my mate's cheek warmly. "Sweet dreams- for both of you," I whisper in delight. And, directly to Sarafina: "G'night, sweetheart. I love you, you know that right?"

I hear a kind, quiet laugh and I see Mufasa watching us. Rather like an adolescent teen, I smile weakly in embarrassment.

"Sorry," the muscular lion mouths, then gestures for us to talk away from Sarafina. Quite reluctantly, I leave the intimate scene.

"Excited?" Mufasa asks me, and I see the same familiar sparkle in his eyes that Sarafina and I possess; Sarabi, his wife, is due to give birth in three days. Three days? Woah, time's flown. I remember so clearly when Sarabi first discovered she was pregnant, shortly before Sarafina herself. No, I can recall way further back than that- when Mufasa and I were cubs, forever playing together. I'm so glad our friendship hasn't wavered, like Mufasa's and Scar's, the King's only younger brother has.

I'm one of the few members in the Pride that doesn't address Mufasa as "King" or "Your Majesty." In fact, Mufasa himself begged me not to. "Urgh, can you imagine?" I remember him explaining, making a disgusted face.

"Yeah, it'd be too weird," I had agreed, expecting his pompous major-domo, Zazu, to object. He didn't, surprisingly.

"Earth to Haamid!," Mufasa calls, laughing heartily. I join in briefly, then answer his question, "You have no idea. How 'bout you? Looking forward to it?"

Mufasa's face speaks for itself; if he was anymore excited, I think he'd explode. And I need to ask him something that I'd not really discussed with him yet: "Do you have a preference?"

"Huh?"

"Your cub- boy or girl?"

My friend's brow furrows in thought. Then he says, "I honestly don't mind, you know what I mean? As long as it's healthy, I don't mind."

I subconsciously feel a minuscule spike of jealousy hit me. What a perfect answer; there's no way I can ever be as good a father as him.

"What about you?" Mufasa says in curiosity.

The thought never occurred to me before but a word unknowingly seems to make it's way through my throat and I say, shocking myself more than Mufasa, "A girl. I'd love a little girl."

The King nods, mulling my decision over and for a few moments we sit in silence. I breathe in the delicious taste of the air which is quickly turning cold as the sun has now almost disappeared completely. "Do you mind if I take Sarafina's place in the hunt tomorrow? She's tired-"

Mufasa sighs, staring at me seriously. "God, Haamid- you didn't need to ask. It's not like I'm going to jump at your throat."

"I dunno...you might have," I say jokingly, wanting to lift the heavy yet unseen weight my friend bears. It's almost like he wants to pretend he's not King, that it's all a game, similar to what we would play when we were cubs.

Mufasa's eyes narrow but I can tell he's kidding around. "Oh, shut up!" he utters light heartedly, and he suddenly pushes me in a friendly manner. However, the unexpected move makes me stumble and the King leaps on me, both of us laughing as we try to shove each other off. We soon roll to a stop as we realise many of the elder lionesses are staring at us, dumbfounded. Mufasa coughs uneasily, and lets me up. Undeterred, I plough on, "For the record, I let you win."

He snorts, his awkwardness vanishes, now not caring whether some of the judgemental lionesses are watching or not. He needs to learn he's the King- _he's_ the one with the power, here, not them. "Maybe I'll tag along to the hunt," he states, "It seems like you'll be outnumbered."

"Oh, just a tad, Your Majesty(!)"

A groan fills the cave, "_Haamid..._"

"Alright, Mufasa, alright."

* * *

Right...what just happened? I can't see a thing and my body aches like...dear God, it just _aches_. How late did I stay up last night?

My eyes begin to prise themselves open and I see a scarlet maned lion peering over me, shock etched deep into his features. And, as soon as my eyes are fully open, he hugs me tightly, almost like if he'd let go, I would leave him. Only then do I remember who the lion is...and why the hell is he doing this? "Mufasa...you're messing up my mane," I complain loudly. The response I get nearly makes me gape, for he says in a strange voice, every word a peculiar pitch, "Oh, shut up!" The words sound the complete opposite as what they were like last night.

Worry takes hold of me and will not relent. "What's wrong, bud? What's happened?"

Mufasa's grip on me slackens, and his voice looms into view once more. "C-can't you..." he stammers, looking even more petrified.

I look up at the sky and everything smacks into my brain once more, making my intake of realisation come out in an uncontrollable rush. Sarafina. Hunting. Antelope. Red. _Them. _Pain. _Red-_

"Are you okay?" I ask, quickly remembering my friend's roar before I passed out.

He scoffs in disbelief. "Never mind about me. Haamid, I'm s-so s-sorry. I didn't know what they _were; _I tried to stop them before you got any worse but-"

I stare as I realise the lion has received numerous, nasty looking gashes across his entire body. They're not deep but one thing's for certain: they'll definitely sting in the morning. "You should get help, they look bad-" Before I can say anything else, an excruciating pain pierces my chest and I scream and scream and scream.

"Haamid! C'mon, you've got to fight it, 'kay?"

The pain does not numb. A mysterious feeling sweeps over me, my mind feels foggy and exhausted. Why should I fight it when I can just sleep...? The blackness starts to seep in again.

"Haamid! For Mohatu's sake, stay awake!"

Mufasa's panicked cry forces me eyes to open again. The pain loses it's fierceness for a moment and I look down at my chest to see what's causing it.

_Ah._

I look up at the sky again and for some stupid reason, I can feel hot tears welling up behind my pupils. "I'm dying, aren't I?" I whisper and it's scary how calm my voice sounds.

Mufasa shakes his head feverishly. "No, no, no, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine, I'll go get Rafiki."

"No."

"Yes!"

"...Stay with me."

The amber orbs widen. A dry sob escapes from my friend. "This is all my fault, I never got here fast-"

I nearly growl. "Idiot, stop it. It's not anyone's f-fault." The pain is building again, making me stutter on my words. I'm never going to see her or the cub. That seems so final: _never._"Mufasa," I mutter, "Can you do something for me?"

The King lies down beside me. The sight of his lip trembling makes me want to hug him like he hugged me. But I can't move. Another final word: _Can't. _"What is it, Haamid?" he says as evenly as he can, trying to be the strong lion I know he is.

"Can you..." Fatigue is clouding my senses now, it's starting to be a struggle to even talk. "Remind me of her? I'm starting to..."

He knows me so well, he figures out who I'm talking about. "You've been friends with Sarafina almost as long as you have been with me," he rattles off, gulping every so often. "You swore you'd never get involved with girls but she was the only one who laughed at your jokes, so I guess..."

I manage to crack a feeble smile. "Keep telling yourself that, Mufasa," I chortle.

He continues. "When you were older, you told her you were in love. And you proposed to her. Now, you're both going to have a cub who we both know is going to be spoiled rotten." He pauses, then: "You're going to be the best Dad in the world, Haamid. I swear it."

I'm far too tired to argue. "Thanks," I tell him sincerely, closing my eyes again. I feel Mufasa holding me, rather like a brother would. Brother. "I've never told you, Mufasa," I say, thankfully having a short burst of strength. "But, you're like my brother."

He looks at me and I think I've said too much, maybe I've reminded him of everything that happened between him and Scar. "Oh, Haamid," is all he can say. I feel wet droplets splash onto my fur. "You big crybaby," I tease softly but I hang onto him. That is, I try to, until the sleepy fog returns and I can feel Mufasa gently lie my head onto the ground. Perhaps, I'm going to pass out again, for the entire world sways but I fight to stay conscious.

Life will go on. Sarafina will give birth. Our little gift will be brought into the world. Gift. Gift...

My tongue feels like lead, but somehow, it moves. "Nala..." I say to myself more than anyone else, thinking how perfect that name sounds, how _right_ it is.

The darkness evaporates to reveal Mufasa, terrified and confused. "Haamid, what do you mean?"

Do I have to reply? It hurts to talk...

"Haamid! What do you mean?" He's shaking me urgently and for a second and want to snarl and shout at him to stop but instead: "Our daughter...her name," I say, knowing my time is almost up.

The King blinks. "Your cub needs to be called Nala?" he deduces.

A doubt forms in my head. "Do you think Sarafina will mind?"

Mufasa laughs properly. "Of course not. It's..." He swallows. Maybe he can feel my life ebbing away. "It's perfect."

Now the pain does not exist at all. In fact, I'm floating...far, far away...as the fatigue lulls me...

And when I close my eyes, I look into Mufasa's for the last time. I can see grief and loss and regret. But most of all-

In those eyes... I see red...

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**A/N: IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ.**

I did some research for this story and antelope do make a kind of "barking" noise whenever they feel threatened, or to warn other memebers of their heard. (In this case, a lion ;-) ).

The break down of Mufasa's and Scar's realtionship I have purposely not explained. This is mainly because I felt it would distract from the main idea of the story but also to let the reader decide what really happened.

Also, this is my first go at making an OC (Original Character) so I'd love some constructive critisism there. :)

I will get back to writing my uncompleted stories, particularly "Journeys of the Spriritual Kind." I just really wanted to see how well this one shot would be accepted. :)

The main moral of this story was the fact that hunting is wrong. I hear on the radio that apparently tigers will be extinct if people don't stop hunting them soon. Even if that's not true, hunting is an unbeliveably cruel thing to do and I hope I've conveyed that in this one shot.


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